who wants this car in the US?

[Stefanel1]

The Mondeo is the largest Ford produced in Europe because there are not Europeans who want to pay more for a Ford. They'll of course prefer VW, Pug, Renault, Alfa, Lancia, or Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Saab, etc.
But I cought when you meant that Volvo was a ford range. It belongs to Ford, but it's hopefully still Swedish...

[bruno4]

Hi there Michael,

Give my regards to Paris, my wife and i know it well, it is our favourite city, except for the drivers who as you know drive like lunatics of course!!

Volvo is 100% owned by Ford. They still make them in Sweden, as Jaguar, Aston Martin and Mazda are made in the U.K and Japan. But the idea is to share platforms, example, the Mazda 6, Mondeo and X type Jaguar use the same basic platform with variations, such as size etc. But the profits go back to the States of course. The Jaguar S type and Lincoln LS also use the same platform and these 2, along with Ford’s Mustang use Jag’s 4 litre V8 engine in various states of tune.

Regarding larger Ford cars, Ford had in the U.K the largest share of the market for the Granada/Scorpio until they redesigned it in the mid 90's. The new shape put everyone off it, just as the '96 Taurus redesign did in States, and Ford lost a market share for this sector overnight.

In the U.K, only Jaguar, Mercedes, BMW and Audi are popular now with the luxury sector. Volvo and Saab no more due to not replacing their ranges soon enough. Pug’s are no different from Ford and Alfa’s have the usual Italian quality control problems.The Omega has a good name, but people do not want to pay a lot of money for a Vauxhall/Opel badge. In the U.K unfortunately, people care more about the badge on their car instead of how the car drives etc.

Over 60% of car sales in the U.K go to Companies for their employees which is why Ford are number 1.2 & 3 with the Focus, Fiesta and Mondeo because they discount them heavily. By the way how is the Bel-Satis selling in France? this looks even worse than the Scorpio.

Kind regards

Ian

[Stefanel1]

Parisian drivers are a funny and I like to drive there, but that's just my point of view

Volvo is owned by Ford, but to me Volvo is still Swedish, it's not American, as Chrysler is not German, Mack not French, etc. If you speak economically, why not, but isn't it better to see cars as Cars (in the noble sense) ?
But I'm agree with you for the rest. Still, I don't like the fact that a Jag has the same platform as a Ford, or the same motor. Where is the soul of this fabulous English make ? A Mercedes has not a platform of a Chrysler and vice versa.
Peugeot is not Ford (or Opel), it's better and i don't say that because I'm French, look on the capacities of them. But I must conceed that Ford is better than 5 or 1à years ago. A Mondeo, A Focus, are far better than a Sierra or an Escort.
Alfa Romeo made big improvements in reliability and built quality. They have now to change their image. They're selling more and more each year.

The Vel Satis is an excellent car. The design is very original, you like or you dislike. Personnally, I'm not a fan, but some people really like it. And inside, it worth a Mercedes. Classical enough and well built. Very comfy, noiseless, good handling. A Scorpio had not these qualities. The sales are good, it's the 2d luxury car sold in France behind the 607 (E Class : 3rd, 5 Series : 4th, A6 : 5th).

And Happy new year !

[integra818]

Would does the mondeo do in the 0-400m??? I ask this to find out if it can compete with the altima/accord. There are definatly people here in America who would buy this car. By the way, how big is it?

[bruno4]

Hi There,

The Mondeo is around 188 inches long, 5 inches shorter than a Taurus.

The acceleration depends upon which engine you choose. In the U.K, it ranges from 125 bhp to over 200bhp. We have 4 7 6 cylinder gas engines and a 2 litre turbo diesel (130 bhp)

According to the reports you read, very little can live with the Mondeo on the UK roads, offering a superb balance of ride and roadholding. The UK Accord is different to the USA version in looks and engines. We have 1.8 (134 bhp) and a 2 litre (144 bhp) and no V6. It handles well apparently but this, along with the Passast and the Camry (which does not sell at all well in the UK due to its bad handling record) are no match for the Mondeo. Having drove one for nearly 2 years and 57000 miles. The plusses are driving fun, great handling and ride, comfort and space. Minuses are Ford's dealers who are hopeless for service, cheap nasty interior and overall, unreliable say compared to Honda and Toyota. Although mine was fine, i had few problems with it, Ford have a bad problem in the UK overall, particularly with the Focus, stupid litle things, like rear tailgate won't close, rear windshield leaks etc. But they are fantastic cars to drive. Try www.whatcar.com there will be road tests here for you to read.

Regards Ian

[integra818]

Originally posted by bruno4
...Camry (which does not sell at all well in the UK due to its bad handling record) ...Regards Ian

:hehe: :cwn27: :toothless :huh: :hehehe:


That would never happen in America. A car not selling becasue becasue it has bad handleing, well, in American roads (well at least L.A), you don't turn very much so theres no complaining about the handleing, plus, the people who usually buy camry's in America are people in thier mid 40's, and THEY'RE deffinatly not gonna complain about the handleing. That's what I like about European drivers so much, 99% are great drivers and don't sleep on the road.

P.S, I was in a car crash about 4 hours ago becasue of stupid drivers in America, it totally was'nt my fault, car is totalled, other guy doesnt have insurance, My dad is pissed off

Sorry for the long post :alien2:

[Ran]

i think the 307 is nicer. (not beacuse i have one........... )

[SuPeRcAr_MaN]

I think it would be a smart desicion by Ford to bring these cars to the US. It owuld easily outseel most Ford models, maybe even the Taurus. Whoever said Americans like boats and wouldn't know a good car if it hit them, you don't know what you are talking about. It is just that besides in big rich towns and cities, there are no nice car dealerships. Where I live, the only dealerships we have are Dodge, Chevy, Ford, and Suburu. I know I live in a shitty town, but I think the beautiful cars here are limited comapred to Italy, England, Germany, etc.

[Stefanel1]

The surprising thing is that you had the prévious Mondéo (the Contour) and you won't have the new one which is far more better.

123 : the 307 is not sold in the US....

[Jimster]

The reason that the new Mondeo is nit sold in the US comes down to the fact the Contour sold so poorly- same reason the Mondeo is not sold in Australia (The last one sold just as poorly) The Mondeo is simply too small to be classed a family car in America- sad but true.

[zackiedawg]

Much of the reason for the comparisons between the Mondeo and the Passat are because of how related the two cars are.

The Mondeo was specifically redesigned to compete with the Passat, which upon its debut both in Europe and in America became one of the design darlings, and moved fit, finish, and material quality far above much of the competition. The Passat redesign in 1997 made it a strong seller worldwide, and it quickly became the target car of most manufacturers (Ford, Nissan, and Honda both admit to tearing down several Passats to see how they were built, and keeping one on hand as a target for their designers and engineers to aim for while redesigning their Mondeo, Accord and Altima, respectively).

Of course, the other major similarity is that the Passat and Mondeo were designed by the same person. Volkswagen's top designer, who penned the Passat, New Beetle, Jetta IV and Golf IV, as well as the Audi A6 and TT, was bribed over to Ford, where he penned the European-market Mondeo in question, as well as the retro-Thunderbird and upcoming Mustang redesign.

The Mondeo is blatantly designed in the Passat's mold, with almost identical proportions, roofline, glass area, etc. This is a good thing, as the Passat is a strong design with excellent safety and aerodynamics, while retaining good interior room and a pleasing, Bauhaus design appearance.

The American drivers are divided...some appreciate good cars, and import car sales are very strong in certain states and cities. The midwestern states tend to "buy American", while many older drivers are looking for a car which they don't notice...a Taurus, Camry, Lumina, Buick, etc are all forgettable cars which ride soft and do their job without raising the pulse, and this is exactly what those buyers want. A Mondeo with a Taurus badge would sell better than if it were to keep its name (the Countour name did not help the previous generation Mondeo sell here)...but the typical Taurus buyers would be put off by the tighter suspension, more noise from the engine and road, tighter steering, etc. This brings the car too much to their attention.

The Americans who buy European cars already would probably find the Mondeo interesting, but this creates another quandry. Many American buyers of European cars would not want to drive a car badged "Ford" because they tend to be strongy anti-American in their car buying sentiments. Even though the Mondeo would be a European car, many would eschew it simply because of the Ford badge.

[bruno4]

Hi There,

Enjoyed your informative article on the Mondeo. Do you own a W8? Is so, what the hell for when speeds rarely go above 70 in this Country? Not like the UK where I come from where they drive a lot faster on the Motorways/Interstates.

I had a Mondeo in the U.K. I have not driven the new Passat, but apparently, it was blown out by the Mondeo, Renault Laguna and Nissan Primera due to its stodgy handling.ride combination (see Autocar.com or whatcar.com). One area where the Mondeo does copycat the Passat is its dreary drab interior. In true German style, it is black plastics ville.....The Passat of course holds its value better than most because as we all know. VW's last and last. BUT in the UK, spare parts are really expensive and often not available for weeks. My daughter had a mark 2 1300 Golf and it took us 3 weeks to get an overflow pipe for a radiator..., A VW is a sensible choice if you are a private buyer, but not for the 60% of Brits who have Company cars like I did where comfort roadholding and handling are so important, move over Passat....Would Mondeo sell here? Probably not when everyone seems obseessed with pick-up trucks with rear suspension springs straight form a Wells Fargo stage coach, and SUV's with their abissmal handling and fuel consupmtion. Apparently the next thing is a crossover vehicle like the Nissan Murano or Volvo XC90. I thought a crossover was a drag artist finally coming out of the closet!!! Take care

Ian

[Stefanel1]

Indeed, in the States you can't drive fast, but the radars detectors are not forbidden, maybe zackiedawg has one

[bruno4]

Hi Michael,

And how is Paris today? I would like to retire there one day....

Hey, I keep seeing your Lancia badge. Why don't you start a Lancia thread. To me Vincente Lancia was a genius. He was so far ahead of his time, right up there with Andre Citroen.
My favourite "Fiat" Lancia is the Delta Integrale which re-wrote handling and roadholding rules, but prior to Fiat, the Flaminia and Fulvias were fantastic cars.

If you go back either further we could talk all day about the pre-post war cars like the Aprillia (Spelling may be arong here).

Regards from Kansas City

Ian

[zackiedawg]

Ian, Yes I wish I could fully unleash my car upon the roadways of Germany whence the car was born...but I am stuck here in the states. By the way, I too am a transplanted Brit, though a few years earlier than you (My parents moved here when I was only 5!). I was born in Cambridge.

Anyway, there is more to going fast than top speed. I love the acceleration from the W8, and enjoy it often. Freeway speeds are limited mostly to no more than 70, though the flow of traffic usually goes above 80, and you can often go much faster if you are courageous. I do have a radar detector system...Escort SR2, which is built in with front and rear receivers, laser detection, measures up to 8 different incoming signals simultaneously, and even has laser shifting to falsify readings (not illegal as it is not governed by FCC like radar is). I have made occasional brief forays into the triple digit areas on abandoned roads running through our swamp lands.

As for the drab black plastic interiors...I actually prefer them. I dislike cars with too much going on inside, and with too much brightwork on the dash. I have always preferred Teutonic interiors for their understatedness, while still being assembled from top-notch materials and excellent build quality.

Remember too that the W8 drives better than the stock Passat, and the US also does not receive the "stripped-down" base models that they get over the pond...those base models have very meager acceleration, and very soft suspensions. Even the base US model is a step above the base model from England. And the W8 adds a fully independent double wishbone rear suspension and All Wheel Drive, which makes a drastically different feel in the steering, handling,and body sway over the other Passats. Having owned a GLX sedan with V6 and front wheel drive, the difference is quite significant - I do prefer to connect to my car, and enjoy the sensation of driving (as opposed to commuting). I find the W8 to be an excellent driver's car which can also substitute as a great business car and a wonderful trip vehicle.

Here in Florida, VWs are very popular (we have the nation's #1 VW volume dealer right here in Coconut Creek Florida), so parts and support are easy to come by, and service has been excellent in my 4 years of owning VWs.

I am not thrilled with any of the "crossover" vehicles...I am sick of hearing that over-used word to describe cars with jacked up bubble-pod bodies. But I suppose I would rather have the little blond yuppie soccer mom gabbing on the cell phone whilst doing her makeup in the visor mirror at 60MPH in a Murano than in an Expedition! So here's to hoping that crossovers at least become popular enough to remove from the roads the ridiculous 3-ton behemoths designed to carry 8 people and tow the Golden Gate bridge, but being used by 93-pound Barbie to drop off 4 year old, 34-pound Kimmie at ballet class!